Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in or around September and October 2021
When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer).
To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.
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100 crore is 1 billion.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3240397482843473 shares Narendra Modi post on India "crossing 100 crore vaccinations".
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Hmm. That's an awesome message for writers (including those on social media like me), given the horrors that Anne Frank went through!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3234565250093363 shares post quoting Anne Frank, "I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."
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Very interesting Indian media interview covering Denmark PM's views on green transition and social justice going hand-in-hand (social justice for those in fossil fuel industries who fear losing their jobs due to green transition), possibilities of concrete results in Denmark-India green partnership, Danish companies being in India for many years, women's rights in context of Afghanistan (the interviewer is also a lady), democratic values & rule of law shared by Europe (or almost all of it) including Denmark and India etc.
Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen Speaks Exclusively To India Today On Fighting Climate Change & More, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bkwmcP5Cjs , 13 min. 9 secs. published on 12th Oct. 2021.
Ravi: It is great to see a lady Prime Minister of a European country speak so well about some of the current challenges faced by the world, and the steps to tackle them.
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Press events on Danish-Indian PMs led delegations' meeting outcome; Ambitious Green partnership between Denmark & India
Saw most of the recent Danish and Indian PM press meet video (15 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK8pm4UEN5w, Danish PM speaks from around 10 min. 22 secs. into the video. She spoke well and with a lot of warmth. There seems to be some Green strategic partnership with a 5 year plan between Denmark and India. In that context, one particular point she mentioned was striking - she said something on the lines of Denmark having made the green transition for 6 million Danes and imagine what it would be if it could be done for 1.4 billion Indians (implying that the Danish-Indian Green partnership contributes a big chunk of this). She said that Denmark has some skills and India has the scale for sure (or words to that effect) (and either implied or explicitly said that that combination of skills and scale could produce a great outcome)..... She also talked of green growth & green transition going hand-in-hand (I am somewhat new to these terms of 'green growth' and 'green transition' but I can guess what they mean).
Some interesting MoUs are listed (most related to green transition) here: List of MoUs/Agreements exchanged during the visit of Prime Minister of Kingdom of Denmark, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1762419 .
There seems to have been a media briefing (virtual) on this meet: Transcript of Special Virtual Briefing on the State Visit of the Prime Minister of Denmark to India by Secretary (West), https://www.mea.gov.in/media-briefings.htm?dtl/34369/ .
Browsed through the above. Some extracts from it:
The two prime ministers had held a virtual summit in September last year 2020, during which our bilateral relations were elevated to a green strategic partnership. This is a very unique partnership that is focused on collaboration to promote green and sustainable growth. The two prime ministers had a very fruitful and productive meeting today, which demonstrated our close and friendly relations. Today's meeting provided an opportunity to both prime ministers to review the progress made on this partnership. The Danish PM noted that our bilateral partnership is an example where two very different countries in terms of size, geographies and histories can come together and work on solutions to address global challenges.
Denmark is a world leader in several green technologies and sustainable solutions. There are over 200 Danish companies that are present in India, many of these are actively involved in taking forward key national missions of India like "Making in India for the world”, many of them are manufacturing in India and even exporting abroad. Jal Jeevan mission where they are providing solutions for water supply and distribution, smart cities, Digital India, clean India, Namami Gange, etc. Denmark became the first country outside the tropics to ratify the international solar Reliance framework in May this year. And in a similar vein, we have around 60 Indian companies that are working in Denmark primarily in the area of ICT and today Prime Minister Frederiksen noted that they would welcome more Indian companies to come in Denmark and explore the opportunities there.
For the implementation of the green strategic partnership, a joint action plan for five years has been agreed. During today's meeting, Prime Minister Frederiksen conveyed to our Honourable Prime Minister that she was deeply impressed by the ambitious targets set by India for supply of household water, renewable energy and for combating climate change and the way India has been achieving many of these targets. She also praised India's vaccination drive and mentioned that the numbers and the scale on which the vaccination campaign was conducted was truly remarkable.
The two prime ministers noted that if Denmark's skill and India's scale is combined with scope, speed, and sustainability, it can be a good example for others to emulate. It is a unique partnership as I mentioned, and both prime ministers noted that it is unique not only bilaterally but also at a global level. Honourable Prime Minister praised Prime Minister Frederiksen for her leadership in promoting the green growth and green technologies and he also thanked Denmark for their support during the second wave of COVID-19 in India.
Besides the existing areas of where cooperation is ongoing with Denmark, and these include a whole diverse range of sectors like, as I mentioned renewable energy, including wind and solar, water, shipping and ports, infrastructure, circular economy and health. Honourable Prime Minister proposed expanding cooperation in areas like Smart Water Resource Management, waste to best that is how from waste we can create best resources and ways to manage efficient supply chains. He also proposed expanding cooperation in the field of agricultural technologies, such as food safety, cold chains, food processing, fertilisers, Fisheries and Aquaculture.
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I think there's a question on skill development. So, that has also been exchanged today, given the importance of skills in our bilateral relationship and the fact that there are a large number of Danish companies that are present and manufacturing in India and contributing to skill development of the workforce here, this will take forward our cooperation and capacity building and skill development.
There is also an MOU that was signed by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Danfoss on establishing a Centre of Excellence for, again, addressing the climate change. And then there were three commercial agreements, which was at the B2B level. But again, these were all addressed to either setting up Centres of Excellence for sustainable solutions, or bringing new technologies in this for the benefit of this partnership. There is also an MOU that was signed by ORF with the state of green, it’s a agreement between the two think tanks to promote greater research on the green transition and knowledge sharing aspect. Now, there are, you know a number of areas where Denmark and India are working together.
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So I'll just like to add that, you know, climate change is an area which is of common concern and interest to both India and Denmark where we feel that we can work together. PM Frederiksen appreciated, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, also the ambitious targets that have been set by India and the way we are working to achieve these targets. Denmark has also committed to increase climate financing and they have said that they will contribute more than 1% of the 100 billion dollar per annum commitment made under the Paris Agreement. Prime Minister Frederiksen, in fact called our PM’s leadership inspirational in the area of climate change and there was considerable amount of discussion on how the two countries can work together in this area.
On the green strategic partnership, well, there are a lot of activities that are going on. So for example, there is a discussion going on to set up offshore wind parks, wind energy parks, and there is a centre of excellence on offshore wind energy that was launched last month, when the Minister of Energy and Climate of Denmark had visited India so jointly at that time, our minister of new and renewable energy and their minister had launched this centre of excellence on offshore wind energy. Similarly, in the area of solar, there is a lot of work going on. As I mentioned, Denmark has ratified the ISA and was the first country outside the tropics to do so. Some of their companies are contributing to manufacturing products that are used in the solar energy sector. And there is also joint research and collaboration going on in that. Water is a very important area of cooperation where Danish, the Environment Protection Agency, some of their institutes and companies are collaborating with the Jal Jeevan mission to promote clean water and water solutions for India.
--- end extracts from press briefing transcript ----
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This seems to be the first such ceremonial reception of a head of state or head of government since COVID pandemic.
I am glad to see that the Danish PM was the first head of government who was accorded this reception after COVID pandemic.
PM of Denmark Mette Frederiksen accorded ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan | 09.10.2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whsTxyiZYnA , 10 min. 25 secs., published by DD India.
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Pandemic enters transition phase—but to what? , https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.acx9290 , 8th Oct. 2021.
A small extract from it:
Denmark has fully vaccinated more than 88% of people older than 18 and an astonishing 97% of those over age 60, the group most vulnerable to serious COVID-19. That allows the country to try to treat SARS-CoV-2 like influenza and other infectious diseases instead of a threat to the entire health system. “We’re thinking of this virus now as a sort of defanged version of the original one. It has gotten its teeth pulled out by the vaccine,” Simonsen says. “What’s left is not much worse than diseases that we’re used to and that we don’t close schools for, like seasonal flu or maybe the 2009 influenza pandemic.”
--- end extract ---
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Puttaparthi has been facing some power cuts recently. I think this article gives some background on the A.P. power situation which may have led to these power cuts in Puttaparthi.
"Quite Alarming": Andhra Chief Minister To PM Modi Over Fears Of Power Crisis, https://www.ndtv.com/andhra-pradesh-news/andhra-pradesh-chief-minister-ys-jagan-mohan-reddy-writes-to-pm-narendra-modi-over-fears-of-power-crisis-2569009, 8th Oct. 2021.
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Awesome to see Air India go back to Tatas who founded it.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3230990337117521 shares Ratan Tata tweet on it with old pic of JRD Tata and Air India.
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While I am all for India having better military relations with USA, I am strongly against USA dictating to India whom India can buy arms from. If USA wants to dictate such terms to India, India should let them know in no uncertain terms that such dictatorial edicts are unacceptable.
Russia is an old time-tested military partner of India. India must continue that relationship. India must go ahead with buying S-400 missile systems from Russia as its armed forces want it to better protect India. Period.
Any military relationship with USA MUST NOT be at the cost of hurting India's time-tested relation with Russia.
We Indians must never forget that in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, USA sided with Pakistan and it was the former Soviet Union that came to India's aid. As far as I know, Soviet Union and now Russia has never threatened India militarily and has always helped India militarily.
U.S. underlines unease with S-400 deal, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-underlines-unease-with-s-400-deal/article36857254.ece , 7th Oct. 2021.
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I thank Narcotics Control Bureau officers like Sameer Wankhede, and related agencies, for the great work they do in protecting residents of the country. Thanks to their families for the support they provide to these officers to do their tough and secretive jobs.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3228340424049179 shares Times of India post on it.
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No Bail For Shah Rukh Khan's Son Aryan In Drugs Case, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/shah-rukh-khans-son-aryan-sent-to-narcotics-agencys-custody-till-thursday-2563483 , 4th Oct. 2021.
Ravi: It is sad that Shah Rukh Khan's son seems to have got trapped into consuming narcotic drugs. The Narcotics Control Bureau wanted him in custody for one more week (till 11th Oct.) and said in court: "Unless we investigate the consumer how do we know who is the supplier, who is financing it" .. "Links in the form of chats etc. show the involvement of international cartel. It is a group of persons, like a gang".
I think it is good that the court accepted the arguments of the Narcotics Control Bureau and extended the custody of the young people who got trapped into consuming narcotic drugs. Let the investigation be done properly and then the focus can be on rehabilitating those young persons who have become drug addicts.
I think maximum effort should be made to get these young persons out of their addiction, if it is found that they are addicts. Of course, the young persons should be treated leniently if this is the first time they have been caught in this matter (which seems to be the case, I think).
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I fully support Hon'ble Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy Garu's efforts at eradicating narcotic drugs usage in Andhra Pradesh. Narcotic drugs can make life hell not only for the person, especially youth, who get trapped in it, but the entire family of the person. It is one of the worst traps that a human being can fall into.
The tweet has an around 2 minute video clip of key part of CM Jagan Mohan Reddy garu's instructions/views on this matter. CM speaks in English and Telugu.
https://twitter.com/PavanJourno/status/1444966543658344450 , 4th Oct. 2021.
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Given the state of the world today where military power has become very important to safeguard the country and the country's interests, I am happy to see the following tweet by US Secretary of Defense Austin welcoming Indian armed forces chief of staff Gen. Rawat's visit to the Pentagon.
"It was an honor to meet Indian Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Rawat during his historic visit to the Pentagon last week. We reaffirmed our enduring commitment to a #FreeandOpenIndoPacific and discussed ways to drive greater interoperability between the U.S. and Indian armed forces.",
https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1444676555289075716 , 3rd Oct. 2021.
It is my humble opinion that in these power balance wise uncertain times, India needs strong military allies to help India protect itself and its interests against forces that are inimical to India. So I am glad to know of this visit by Gen. Rawat to Pentagon, USA and the welcome extended to him by top US Defense staff.
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‘I got Covishield from India’: President of the 76th UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, https://indianexpress.com/article/world/i-got-covishield-from-india-president-of-the-76th-un-general-assembly-abdulla-shahid-7547618/ , 2nd Oct. 2021.
Abdulla Shahid is from Maldives.
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Some interesting background info. on Bobby the Hindi film movie released in 1973 which was a big hit then. I think I would have seen it a little later in my early teens. It was a must-see youngster romance movie in the 1970s in Mumbai.
I had not known of Raj Kapoor (father of Rishi Kapoor) being in debt when this movie was made. In fact, I don't think I had noted that Raj Kapoor was the producer of the movie
The marriage of Rajesh Khanna with the Bobby film heroine Dimple Kapadia, was also big news then. The article gives some interesting inner stuff about some real-life romantic tensions among these top stars then.
And then some real-life tension between Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan as Rishi Kapoor paid money to bag some film award over Amitabh (role in Zanjeer). Tragic that young Rishi Kapoor paid money to get the award but nice to see that he acknowledged his mistake later.
When Rishi Kapoor revealed he was launched because Raj Kapoor was in debt, couldn’t afford Rajesh Khanna: 48 years of Bobby, https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/48-years-of-bobby-rishi-kapoor-dimple-kapadia-raj-kapoor-7538698/ , 28th Sept. 2021.
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The high-technology marketplace is not particularly forgiving of companies that cannot swiftly develop, produce, and market a product - An Wang (in 1986 book)
From "Keeping Control" chapter of the book, "Lessons: An Autobiography", written by An Wang with Eugene Linden, published in 1986, https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Lessons.html?id=CSTxxSaJPGQC&redir_esc=y
In the context of bureaucracy in larger company of Burroughs that had made a friendly acquisition of Wang Labs. competitor in word processor systems space - Redactron, delaying Redactron's efforts to build a CRT-based word processor system so much that Redactron could not establish itself in CRT-based word processor system market, An Wang writes: "The high-technology marketplace is not particularly forgiving of companies that cannot swiftly develop, produce, and market a product." - page 190.
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I liked this 7 and a 1/2 minute interview. Guthrie almost pesters Johnson on some topics with Johnson playing along in a good humoured way without getting trapped into saying something undiplomatic.
Nice human touch at the end as the talk turns to Johnson's six kids including a new baby, with another baby on the way, and changing nappies. Johnson claims that he changes a lot of nappies!
I have to say that Boris Johnson can be quite charming at times, even if he is known for some very controversial remarks as well.
UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson Speaks Exclusively To Savannah Guthrie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFMsIjGas04, 7 min. 23 secs., published on 21st Sept. 2021 by TODAY.
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That's some traffic jam!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3223191927897362 shares related post about "Massive traffic jam at Delhi- Gurugram border amid Bharat Bandh security checks."
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I did not know that there were Hindi rappers. I came to know of them as one Hindi rapper got into the news in some India-Pakistan context (I just saw the headlines and did not read up on the issue).
But I wanted to hear Hindi rap 😀😜😀.
So here's one I got on youtube for the rapper who got into the news - Om Prakash: #KADKI OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO - OPM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yCkJgX2zQI , around 2 mins, published on 20th April 2021.
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Great one for bookworms!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3222520354631186 shares post with Peanuts cartoon about happiness being having one's own library card!
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Happy birthday Manmohan Singh sir! Thank you so much for your great service to the country.
Please note that I have a PUBLICLY POLITICALLY NEUTRAL role in these social media posts that I put up related to Indian political leaders which may include leaders in government currently and those not in government. I am an Indian citizen and resident of India. I do vote in Indian elections but I keep who I vote for as a private matter. I should also say that I am a grateful beneficiary, a lover and an open supporter of democracy in India.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3222473021302586 shares post of Rahul Gandhi wishing happy birthday to Manmohan Singh sir.
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I think the Quad is a good grouping as a safeguard of freedom and democracy in the Indo-Pacific area. One thing is clear to me now. Freedom & democracy cannot be taken for granted. Non-democratic forces could topple democracy in some countries of the Indo-Pacific and bring in authoritarian regimes based mainly on military power with limited freedom.
As I am an open supporter of democracy, I am happy to know about this first physical meeting of the leaders of the countries of the Quad group - USA, Australia, Japan and India :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUKaNgYWICM, 10 min. 55 secs, published by Hindustan Times on 25th Sep. 2021.
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Quick translation of some Hindi in the pic:
(2020:) Poora Ad dekh: See the whole Ad.
(2025:) Aaj bas Ad dekh video kal play hoga: Today you see only the Ad, video will play tomorrow.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3217784671771421 shares related 'Desi Humor' post.
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One of the great things about English pop music, at least in the 1980s when I used to hear them, was how they would relate to common people. I mean, not only was the music and singing part of it attractive, but the words of the song seemed to strike a chord with the general public.
Especially from 1984 to around mid 1990s, as a software developer/manager/consultant, I led quite a rushed life with some great breaks in between, but still most of it was a rushed life. So 'Manic Monday' was something I could relate to very well in those days as I would have to get out of relaxed weekend mode and get into 'manic' workdays mode 🙂. Software development field can get to be awfully rushed and intense, at times.
Here's The Bangles playing their hit song 'Just another Manic Monday' live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJ6Jsy0JfY .
The original song was released in 1986 and reached number two spot in USA and UK, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Monday .
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Good to see Pakistan help out Afghan women's football team.
Afghanistan women’s football team flees to Pakistan ;
Girls who played for under-14, under-16 and under-18 teams arrive in Lahore in the wake of Taliban’s takeover. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/15/afghanistan-women-football-team-pakistan-taliban-sports , 15th Sep. 2021.
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Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You (Live in London, 1995), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxoBaEQGMPo , around 5 mins.
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Lovely live rendition perhaps in 2020 of Hindi film oldie goldie - Naam ghum jayega chehra ye badal jayega from 1977 movie Kinara: Naam Gum Jayega I Meri Awaz Hi Pehchan Hai I Kinara I R D I Bhupinder Singh, Lata I Viveck, Amruta, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL_JXQwUeds , 4 min. 22 secs.
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Young singer doing an awesome rendition of Naam Ghum Jayega and then another song: Arunita ने दिया एक Fabulous Performance | Indian Idol Season 12, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0wCC_Rx29E , around 5 mins.
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A post I put up in Jan. 2019 related to visiting Afghanistan MPs reactions to screaming and yelling in Indian parliament, that was shared by Shri Rahul Gandhi, which I think is appropriate to share again now.
https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2392798557603374 is my post with my comments which shares Shri Rahul Gandhi's following post:
https://www.facebook.com/rahulgandhi/posts/629433870824338
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The Telugu (Telangana) Bulletu Bandi song seems to have captured the minds of many Telugu folks (including some locals in Puttaparthi). The shared video seems to be of a small girl in USA (probably Telugu) dancing to the song. Around 5 mins.
[The video linked in my FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3214709385412283 , seems to no longer be available.]
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Interesting to see young Africans dance in Indian dance style (popular/masses dance as against classical dance)! Around 5 mins. video.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3214703638746191 shares related video.
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Hundreds Of Sports Allowed, Taliban Promise -- If You're A Man. From cricket to soccer, running to horse riding, Afghanistan's new sports chief said Tuesday that the Taliban will allow 400 sports -- but declined to confirm if women can play a single one. https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/hundreds-of-sports-allowed-taliban-promise-if-youre-a-man-2541051
Ravi: Hmm. I am trying to understand how life in Afghanistan will be under Taliban 2.0, including in cities like its capital Kabul.
I think Badminton is a sport that quite a few Indian girls and women play even in apartment society areas in towns and cities across India, including my town of (outside ashram) Puttaparthi. This is amateur time-pass stuff which also contributes to making them more fit & healthy, I guess.
It seems that in Afghanistan under Taliban 2.0, no such Badminton will be allowed for girls & women. What horrific discrimination between men and women in our times, in South Asia!
Thankfully, both the Muslim majority countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh have female badminton players listed in wikipedia pages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Pakistani_female_badminton_players and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Bangladeshi_female_badminton_players .
Perhaps like in India, amateur Badminton is played by girls and women in towns & cities in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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Civil war transforms some human beings into monstrous and murderous animals devoid of mercy, as such behaviour, at least in the short term, helps such persons survive and perhaps triumph.
In finishing off the Panjshir resistance, the Taliban seem to be having a policy of 'Take no prisoners'! The initial part of this BBC video covers the execution of a person in Panjshir by the Taliban, who may or may not have been in the resistance. Even if he was in the resistance, he clearly was unarmed and under the control of the Taliban, when they executed him. The Taliban don't seem to have been interested in imprisoning him somewhere!
How fragile human civilization is! A well armed and monstrously violent group can destroy civilized life so easily! I think the Taliban coming to power in Afghanistan has showed that this is possible even in our early 21st century times, in South Asia.
It is the military, paramilitary and police forces of countries who do the wonderful and great work of protecting civilized life from monstrously violent armed groups who want to become warlord bosses like the Taliban.
I take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to Indian military, paramilitary and police forces for protecting civilized life in India from such monstrously violent armed groups.
Taliban kill civilians in Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGSrFoD5d_I , 11 min. 18 secs., published on 13th Sept. 2021.
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Links to an around 5 min. video.
War, especially civil war, is a horrible, horrible thing. Not only do the fighters/warriors suffer, but many civilians get into desperate situations.
This Kabul based Assistant Professor's story, if true and I presume Quint did some checking of it being true before publishing it, is so tragic. Now he and his family (he has two young kids) are out of money - broke (he has not been paid any salary for some time now). He is getting food by promising to pay later. But he is not getting any other job! What a horrible situation to be in!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3213479958868559 links to related post
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AstraZeneca vaccine creator says booster shots may be unnecessary for many; University of Oxford's Sarah Gilbert says immunity from vaccine is holding up well, https://www.thenationalnews.com/coronavirus/2021/09/10/astrazeneca-vaccine-creator-says-booster-shots-may-be-unnecessary-for-many/ , 11th Sept. 2021.
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Good video that shows us another angle in the Afghanistan power struggle which now has been won by the Taliban though there seem to be still some pockets of resistance. A mansion owned by a boss and military leader of the former government shows us how he led a very opulent lifestyle, even though Afghanistan was, and continues to be, a poor country. It is such great disparity in wealth and income that triggers mass movements from the have-nots which sometimes becomes militant. Most of the Taliban fighters seem to come from poor and rural background.
Inside an Abandoned Mansion That 150 Taliban Now Call Home | Afghanistan News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dCuSBJtZlk , 4 min. 35 secs., published on 9th Sept. 2021 by The New York Times.
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Brother Of Former Afghan Vice-President Executed By Taliban, Says Family, https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/former-afghan-vice-president-amrullah-salehs-brother-rohullah-azizi-executed-by-taliban-says-family-2536844 , 10th Sept. 2021.
An article extract: "They executed my uncle," Ebadullah Saleh told Reuters in a text message. "They killed him yesterday and would not let us bury him. They kept saying his body should rot."
--- end extract ---
Don't know if the above message is true. If true, we are seeing brutality of wars of earlier centuries happening in Panjshir area of Afghanistan now, with the brutality, at least in this case, being done by the Taliban. If true, absolutely horrifying!
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North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un seems to have lost weight and is looking fitter now! Hmm. Did he do some workout to lose weight? It would be interesting to know.
A Slimmer and More Tan Kim Jong Un Oversees Military Parade, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xqpo7bxTvc , 1 min. 21 secs. published on 9th Sep. 2021 by Bloomberg Markets and Finance.
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One of the first signs of a dictatorial government is the beating up and intimidation of media who report on matters that are critical of the government. Very unfortunately, Taliban in Afghanistan is going down that horrible route.
'Put his foot on my head': Afghan journalists recount Taliban torture for covering women's protest, https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/put-his-foot-on-my-head-afghan-journalists-recount-taliban-torture-for-covering-women-s-protest-101631179750850.html , 9th Sept. 2021.
From the article: "You are lucky you weren't beheaded", the Taliban told the duo when they asked why they were being beaten up.
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Getting into IIT (Indian elite tech. educational institute) is not the be-all and end-all of life. I think leading a balanced life is more important than an IIT degree. Good to know of this parent steering his son away from an IIT coaching centre as that would have made his son lead an IIT-centric life for a couple of years. The son did not make it to an IIT but studied engineering elsewhere in India.
I think India should not get into a trap of worship of IITs, IISc and IIMs. There is more to life than these elite educational institutions which focus on limited areas, even if those areas are in high demand and so result in mega salaries for their graduates and post-graduates.
Mega salary is not a sure recipe for a happy and purposeful life.
Given the major social challenge today of great economic inequality in many parts of the world, including India, IITs, IISc and IIMs producing mega salary graduates and post-graduates are not exactly a solution to this social challenge.
We need good educational institutions that promote contributions from its graduates and post-graduates to social well being including economic social well being, as against promoting individual financial mega-success.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3210284082521480 shares related FB post.
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Locals having a rougher time due to influx of new Zoom residents, is not good, IMHO. Both the new Zoom residents and the locals should benefit.
From the following video's description: "Freed from traditional offices, remote workers are relocating all over the country, fueling "Zoom booms" in remote towns. In Crested Butte, Colorado, the new influx is leaving locals with nowhere to live, prompting the town to declare a housing emergency."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhElNHGN9KY, 10 min. 21 secs, published on 4th Sept. 2021 by VICE News
My comments on associated FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3209888142561074 are given below. To see others' comments please visit the FB post.
The contrast between the large houses that are shown in the initial part of the video which 'zoom' people are buying/renting and the last part of the video showing the restaurant worker local young man living out of his truck (van), is disturbing. I mean, these local workers should be able to have their own rooms/flats somewhere and not be living in a truck or car.
One of the really rough downsides of a totally free market economy (capitalism) is that poor locals can be badly marginalized in a short time due to influx of rich outsiders, in such small towns. That does not seem right or fair!
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Poverty in some rich Western countries is very distressing and hard to accept, given that the countries are rich!
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My heart goes out to the local restaurant worker who now has to live in his truck. That's just not fair!
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There are a lot of welfare programs for rural poor in many parts of India including Andhra Pradesh state that I live in. Govt. is even constructing houses for the poor in Andhra Pradesh (A.P.). The poor have free health insurance in A.P. and heavily subsidised basic food grains (through ration system).
Sometimes I think rural poor in Andhra Pradesh are better off than rural poor in USA. I mean, the rural poor in A.P. have the govt. to fall back on for some services. Perhaps rural poor in USA do not get such support from the government.
I don't know how it is for the urban poor in India now (I moved out of urban India around two decades ago). City life is expensive in India now and so I think the urban poor (especially those that don't have a village to go back to, as they are 2nd generation migrants to cities) in India have a rough time.
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Awesome performance by Indian bowlers!
India Win To Take 2-1 Lead | England v India - Day 5 Highlights | 4th LV= Insurance Test 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nOdSj0u29U , 15 min. 39 secs.
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University classes resume in Afghanistan with a 'curtain of separation', https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/university-classes-resume-in-afghanistan-with-a-curtain-of-separation-101630925501362.html , 6th Sep. 2021.
Ravi: Good to see that women are being allowed to study in universities by Taliban 2.0. I personally am okay with separation of men and women in university classes, though I prefer it being a matter of choice of the educational institution and students & parents, rather than an imposition by the government. I was associated as a free service teacher in a deemed university in South India for around 9 years most of which was in the 2000s, where whole campuses were separate for men and women, with me being associated with a men's campus. It was a matter of choice of the educational institution and students & parents. If students & parents did not like it, they were free to go to a co-educational institution elsewhere in the state/country.
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#SriLanka declares economic emergency | Inside Story, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57xPUP9HVuY , 25 min. 30 secs., published on 4th Sept. 2021 by Al Jazeera.
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Horrifying! Note that Rohtak is in the North Western Indian state of Haryana.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3208108592739029 shares post about a young man (in Haryana) eliminating his family using his father's revolver after his family opposed his same-sex relationship.
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The Indian gentleman along with US President John F. Kennedy is Indian President S. Radhakrishnan whose birthday is celebrated in India as Teacher's day. Radhakrishnan, as per his wiki page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan , was an Indian academic, a professor of philosophy and a distinguished scholar of comparative religion and philosophy.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3207506762799212 shares related U.S. Embassy India post.
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Images of Afghan women erased from view as Taliban consolidate power - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWc48ZC7YKY , 3 min. 33 secs, published on 4th Sept. 2021.
Hmm. Faces of images of women being blackened or whitewashed over in Kabul now, is a telling sign of how Taliban 2.0 view women's role in society. I mean, they seem to want women to be home based and don't seem to encourage women playing leading role in the workplace.
My God! This is not happening in Iraq or Syria but in South Asia. Afghanistan has ties with India over millennia. ... Tragic to see women being marginalized like this in a country in South Asia, now in 2021.
Associated FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3206958326187389 has some comments exchange. My comments are given below.
Hmm. I think during the communist era, which was well into the early 1980s, Afghanistan did not have this issue. In fact, I think the communists promoted women in a significant way. Taliban 1.0 which came into power in mid 1990s imposed this marginalization of women.
I think cities in Pakistan like Lahore and Karachi don't have such severe marginalization of women issues, as of now at least.
Note that this erasure/blackening of faces of images of women is happening in Kabul now, not in some rural town.
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All I know is that in what I have seen and read about Lahore & Karachi in past years, women do play a significant role in life there.
And they are not forced to wear hijab (full or partial), as far as I know.
I don't know how it is in rural Pakistan and in areas bordering Afghanistan. Perhaps there it is different with women being marginalized.
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It truly is extraordinary to see how most women cope with all the challenges they have to face in a male dominated society. I am very respectful of women who somehow meet such challenges.
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I guess so! They have to handle the reality of life. I guess that's why women are so practical about life.
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Plan/hope to look at the around 17 min video later on. Seems to be a good one about women empowerment in Pak.
Saw the whole video. So nice to see Pakistani rural as well as urban women being empowered through ILO's programs.
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Good to see this. At least some of the Afghans and their families, who assisted USA & NATO allies in Afghanistan and wanted to flee from Taliban rule, have been able to make it to USA and some other NATO countries that have opened their doors to them.
That so many people want to flee from Taliban rule in Afghanistan shows us that even if Taliban have gunned their way into power in Afghanistan, they have not yet won the hearts of most of the people in Afghanistan. I think, in the final analysis, unless Taliban is able to win the hearts of most of the people of Afghanistan, it will be viewed as a tyrannical government which got power and is retaining power only through the gun.
The challenge to the Taliban now is to show their ability to govern and have a stable and prosperous Afghanistan. I think that is a far mightier challenge than gunning their way into power.
Afghan Refugees arrived in New Mexico, America. (Holloman Air Force Base), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u10GeXdW4OY , 3 min. 6 secs., published on 4th Sept. 2021.
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Interesting documentary made perhaps in 2000/2001 about Afghanistan then which was under Taliban 1.0 rule. The narrator and key photographer/videographer is David Adams. The latter part of the video covers the Bamiyan Buddhas including some great video clips of them. Note that sometime after this documentary was made, the Bamiyan Buddhas were blown up by the Taliban in March 2001. The Bamiyan Buddhas coverage including some introduction/background starts from around 38 mins into the video.
The Mysterious Lost Buddhas Of Afghanistan | Inside Afghanistan | Timeline, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXXmcGirPMA , 50 min. 22 secs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan has lots of info. on the Bamiyan Buddhas including many pics before and after the statues were destroyed.
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